Freedom Festival drew strong attendance, vendors report higher sales, College Place official says
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Summary
A staff report to the College Place Lodging Tax Advisory Commission described the recent Freedom Festival as "historic," noting a visit by Olympian Kenneth Rooks, high vendor sales, heavy parking demand and presentation of a key to the city to Mr. Brooks.
Miss Garcia told the College Place Lodging Tax Advisory Commission that this year's Freedom Festival was "a historic year" for the city, reporting strong vendor sales, very high attendance and a meet-and-greet featuring silver-medal Olympian Kenneth Rooks.
"It was completely packed, and I love hearing that," Miss Garcia said, adding that vendor sales were high this year after the event shifted toward retail and food vendors rather than primarily nonprofit and information booths. She said the event appeared to benefit the local economy and local vendors.
Miss Garcia also said Kenneth Rooks and his wife attended, signed autographs and participated in a meet-and-greet. She said Mr. Brooks was presented with the "first ever key to the city." The commission had no public commenters on the item and received the report with no further questions.
The commission had previously awarded funding to the Freedom Festival for the 2025 cycle; the festival report was presented as part of the commission's regular review of funded events and as background for the 2026 application and RFP discussion during the same meeting.
No formal action was taken on the festival report itself; commissioners accepted the report and moved on to the application and timeline items.